Beylik of Tunis

The Beylik of Tunis was a monarchy in present-day Tunisia, formally part of the Ottoman Empire, that existed from 1705 to 1881. Ruled by the Husainid dynasty, it gradually gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, though its rulers remained faithful to the Sublime Porte. The Beylik became a constitutional monarchy between 1861 and 1864, adopting the first constitution in Africa and the Arab world. It maintained its own currency, an independent army, and adopted its flag in 1831. The institution of the Beylik was nominally retained under the French protectorate of Tunisia, with the Husainids serving as symbolic sovereigns, until its final abolition in 1957.